RFG Advisory LLC Increases Stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

RFG Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,093 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,752 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC's holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $3,082,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.20.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.9 %

MPC stock traded down $2.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $151.43. The company had a trading volume of 4,318,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,236,087. The stock has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.00, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $147.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.58. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $130.54 and a 52 week high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.90. The firm had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.34 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This is a boost from Marathon Petroleum's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is presently 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. The trade was a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated downstream energy company primarily in the United States. The company operates through Refining & Marketing, and Midstream segments. The Refining & Marketing segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks at its refineries in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, and West Coast regions of the United States; and purchases refined products and ethanol for resale and distributes refined products, including renewable diesel, through transportation, storage, distribution, and marketing services.